Homelessness within the UK is reaching critical levels with much more. 380,000 people Only England is projected to be homeless by the top of 2025.
There can also be one Growing recognition that neurodivergent individuals are overrepresented in homeless populations; But lots more comes from it. Anecdotal reports from service providers or local research projects that take a look at specific neurodivergences similar to autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
So, our New research Explored why this may be. Our findings exhibit how neurodivergent people may experience exclusion at different points of their social life, education, and employment. In turn, this will result in increased financial hardship and a greater likelihood of homelessness.
As Homelessness increases Across the UK, public debate focuses on housing provision or personal responsibility. For example, housing and homeless charity shelters Highlights A chronic shortage of social housing and an increasingly unaffordable private rental sector.
We spoke to 6 neurodivergent people, from one local authority area, who had experienced homelessness or unsafe housing. To structure the interviews, we asked participants to create a Map of life.
It’s a visible timeline of necessary events that were meaningful to them, similar to education, employment, homelessness, help-seeking and diagnosis. We analyzed life maps and participant accounts, identifying three central themes of their stories.
First, ambiguity around diagnosis often confuses things and delays or prevents access to assist. Second, participants often appear to go through gaps at critical points of their lives, where support must have been available. And third, once in crisis, navigating services were often inaccessible, slow and frustrating.
Lifetime deficiency support
Our participants had many points of their lives where help was needed but ultimately missed. This had knock-on effects on their ability to stay in education or employment. In turn, this created an absence of opportunity and affected financial security.
For some participants, these challenges began in school. Most reported being bullied – an experience that’s Unfortunately common For many neurodivergent children. Faced with an absence of support for bullying, participants took motion by changing schools, moving areas, and even leaving school altogether.
Those who pursued higher education faced the challenges of being away from home for the primary time, in addition to an absence of specialist neurodivergent support. Some turned to alcohol to address social anxiety.
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Neurodivergent adults are known to experience significant. Employment Gaps. Our participants also outlined quite a few challenges to securing and maintaining employment. One described being unable to seek out a spot for the work experience required to finish the qualification. They believed this was because of the stigma related to their diagnosis.
For others, jobs that may be considered entry-level, similar to customer support or retail jobs, presented unexpected difficulties, including sensory overload and social anxiety. UK employers are required by law to make changes to remove or reduce the potential drawback faced by disabled employees, which is “Reasonable Adjustment”. But most participants reported an absence of them in practice.
When our participants reached a crisis point and sought help with their housing needs, many experienced services as confusing or unsupportive of their needs. Most described long waits for various supports and services, often in inadequate, temporary accommodation.
Sensory and social challenges in these environments contributed to the deterioration of mental health. Long waiting lists to access therapy or diagnostic evaluation also made participants feel trapped and unable to maneuver on with their lives.
‘Society doesn’t care about you’
Respondents described patterns of persistent exclusion starting in adolescence, which paved the way in which for homelessness. Once in need of housing support, they found significant barriers to accessing services designed by and for neurotypical people.
When temporary housing was offered, in lots of cases it didn’t meet their neurodivergent needs. For example, most participants described being housed in busy, “chaotic” hostels that they were anxious to depart. In one case, a person with significant sensory sensitivities was living in shared temporary accommodation round the corner to a nightclub that played loud music throughout the night, affecting his sleep.
We also found that participants internalized these experiences. For example, they blamed themselves and felt like “society doesn’t care about you,” as one described. This affected each their self-esteem and their engagement with services.
Many people may experience similar situations but not necessarily find themselves homeless. However, for our participants, difficulties were compounded by fewer social networks to fall back on during difficult times. He described difficulties in maintaining regular contact with friends. They were sometimes rejected by their families and others for not understanding their differences.
The stories we heard were powerful and poignant. They show the intense effects emissions can have on an individual’s life.
There were also many points at which early support or prevention could possibly be provided, for instance, when accessing education, workplaces and health and social care. There at the moment are a growing number Toolkits And guidance For services to working with neurodivergent people experiencing homelessness.
Taken together, our findings suggest how neurodivergent people may face unique pathways to homelessness. This shows why early, greater involvement and collaboration are essential to prevention.